TARANAKI SECONDARY SCHOOLS RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION RULES, REGULATIONS AND SPECIAL PROVISIONS 2009
                                                                                                                                                                                        

The Taranaki Secondary Schools Rugby Football Union administers Secondary School Rugby in Taranaki.  An Annual meeting is held in October where officials for the following year are elected.
Positions are:

Chairman
Secretary
Executive  (consisting of three members)
Draw Person
Points Recorder
Delegates to TRFU Meetings
Delegate to Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council
Appointment Committee (in years when TSSRFU Team is to play)

The Chairman once elected will call a meeting in February of the following year to plan with the committee competitions for the rugby season. Meeting dates will then be decided at the conclusion of each meeting.
The committee consists of delegates selected by their school/college. Each school/college has two votes at the meetings. Delegates are to be named at the first meeting of the year.
The following rules/regulations and special provisions have been adopted by the TSSRFU Committee and apply to all coaches, managers and players under its auspices.
It is the responsibility of the delegate/s to the TSSRFU Meetings that all coaches/managers and players from their school/college are made aware of the following:

1. WEIGH IN AND REGISTRATION
A Representative of the TRFU will weigh in players at their school/college before the first holidays. (This weigh in cannot take place until the beginning of April.) The only players that need to be weighed in 2008 are Under 16’s who wish to play in the U15 Grades Under 65kg).
It is important that at this weigh in the person in Charge of Rugby must have the names and DOB of all prospective rugby players and have available for collection the NZRFU Registration and Insurance Forms which will be given to the TRFU Representative.
The person in Charge of Rugby at each school/college will then make up the teams and send the information to the Chairman as soon as possible.
The TSSRFU Chairman must be officially notified with the relevant details before a player can be registered.
The school/college delegate can weigh any boy new to the school/college or who missed the weigh in, if they are Under 16 and 65kg and are to play in an U15 team. The following information, name, DOB, weight and team they are to play for, to be sent to the Chairman TSSRFU.
Please note: an appointed person may weigh players at a later date if doubts over the submitted weight are forth coming.
For new A and B Boys’ Grade and Girl players the Person in Charge of Rugby at the school/college must inform the TSRFU Chairman the new players name, date of birth and the team they will play for.
Players cannot play until the information is sent to the Chairman of TSSRFU.
Unregistered players cannot play.
All players throughout the season are subject to the scrutiny of the TSSRFU Committee.
Teams, which blatantly transgress the registration rules, are cheating and the committee will take appropriate action.
Latest date for new registrations is end of Week 2, Term 3. (This is for new students who arrive in at the beginning of Term 3)
A player once registered in a team cannot play in a team below that grade or across a grade unless re graded by the executive. A player can play up a grade but becomes part of that team once he has played five games. (Played in means taking the field as a player or substitute)
NOTE:
B1 is a higher grade than B2. Under 15 Div 1A is higher than Under 15 1B (The executive takes a dim view of players playing in a grade below in which they have been registered).
If a school/college has two or more teams in a grade a player cannot play for another team in that grade.
A penalty of 5 points will be deducted from the team the player played for and the team the player is registered in. A team that plays an unregistered player will be deducted 5 points. The team playing a player from a higher grade or an unregistered player and wins the game will forfeit the game and the opposition team will be awarded 5 points.
Suspension from the competition will be at the discretion of the TSSRFU Executive if the above continues.
A player can only be registered in one team at a time (a player is registered in a higher team when he/she has played 5 games and is deregistered from the team he/she was in). If a player changes school/college he/she can be registered in a team at their new school/college at the level or above of the grade they were playing.
The Rules for Secondary School Players who are playing for a Club and Club Players who are playing for a school are;

• to be classed as a secondary school student, the player must be a bona fide student at a secondary school/college on the first day in Term 2.
• to be classed as a club player, the player must have left school before the first day of Term 2.
• for a secondary school/college student to play for a club he must have the permission of the secondary school/college in writing.
• for a club player to play for a secondary school he must have the permission of the club in writing and have attended that secondary school/college as a bona fide student

therefore if a player leaves school/college at the beginning of Term 2 he/she can continue playing for that school/college as a school/college player. However that player is not eligible for inter school/college games as he/she is not a bona fide student.

2. DISPENSATIONS
With the change to Under 15, no weight limit, there should be no reason for any dispensations.
Dispensations will be considered only in exceptional circumstances.

3. COMPETITIONS
Will be decided on by the TSSRFU Committee once entries have been received.  The 2008 Competition will commence on 10th May with Finals day on 30th August.

Competition Points:	Win   4 Draw 2  Loss  0
1 point bonus for:	4 tries or more  a loss by 7 or less

The draws for all grades will be posted on the TRFU Website www.taranakirugby.co.nz
A weekly draw will be emailed to all coaches/managers that supply the Chairman TSSRFU with an email address.

4. TEAM MEMBERS
Protected Players
Premier 1 Grade only.
Teams playing above Premier,
NPBHS 1st XV Squad cannot play in TSSRFU Competitions
NPBHS 2nd XV and FDMC 1st XV are to name 19 players who cannot play in the TSSRFU Competition.
Teams playing in Premier 1 are to name 19 players that can only play in Premier 1.
Players brought into the squad to replace injured or rested players can return to their registered team at any time. (The 5 game above rule does not apply for this grade)
For all other grades.
Teams may only use players who are on the official registration form and have met all the criteria or have been given a dispensation by the TSSRFU Committee. The official Registration Forms are held by the Chairman and are available on request.
(The one exception is using a player from a lower grade. It should be indicated on the team sheet from what team he/she has come from)
They may register as many players as they have.

5. RESULTS OF GAMES
The team coach or manager must inform the Person in Charge of Rugby at their school/college the result of the game by 9am on the following Monday. The Person In Charge of Rugby will then email or fax all the results of their teams to:

j.george@fdmc.school.nz or Fax: 06 753 6148

by 10am on the Monday following the weekend games.
Failure to do this will result in the non-awarding of points to teams that results have not been notified.
It is the responsibility of the Person In Charge of Rugby to forward all results of games their school/college teams have played either at home or away.
Delayed games must be notified when results are sent through.
Results will be e-mailled to all schools/colleges and published in the Taranaki Daily News on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings.

6. REFEREES
Referees play a very important part in our game. Please ensure they are treated with respect by players and spectators and assist them if there are any problems. Team officials must not be involved in any abuse of referees AND MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN SPECTATORS.

PLEASE: If your game date or time is changed please notify:

DON HODGE (A Grade)	Home       Work        Fax Work	06 755 1867 06 758 7860 06 758 7860
JOE DEEGAN (B, Under 15 and Girls)	Home  Mobile	06 753 3340 021 758 9157

7. DEFAULT
If you have to default, you must inform the appropriate referee coordinator the opposition coach and the Chairman TSSRFU, by 1.30pm on the Friday before the game.
If a team defaults a written explanation must be sent to the Chairman by 3pmTuesday following the game. The executive will decide if any further action will be taken. If a letter is not received by 3pm Tuesday the team defaulting will be deducted 5 points.

8. COMPLAINTS
 The procedure for laying a complaint is as follows:

• the complaint is to be passed on to your school/college Person in Charge of Rugby in writing and to the Chairman, TSSRFU by 3pm Monday following the incident or problem. (Fax or Email is acceptable)
• any action considered appropriate will be taken by the executive.

9. CANCELLATIONS
Where your grounds are closed please notify the opposition coach first as alternative arrangements may be able to be made. If not notify radio stations and referees.
Should conditions be so bad as to require a blanket cancellation across the province please contact the secretary who will ring the radio stations on behalf of TSSRFU.

10. PLAYING TIMES
Under 19  - 35 minutes each way.
U15  and Girls Grades - 30 minutes each way.

11. STARTING TIMES
(Unless otherwise arranged by mutual agreement with referees being informed)
At Hawera Saturdays 10.30am, 11.15am or 1pm. Games played at Hick’s Park.
At Waverley Saturdays 11.15am.   Games played at the Border Club Grounds
Other venues Saturdays 10am, 11.15am or 1pm.
Girls  Sundays from 11.30am

12. GRADES AND WEIGHTS FOR 2009
Ages at midnight 31.12.08

Born in 1990	under 19
Born in 1991	under 18
Born in 1992	under 17
Born in 1993	under 16
Born in 1994	under 15
Born in 1995	under 14
Born in 1996	under 13
Born in 1997	under 12
Under 19 & Girls Grades	no weight limit
Under 15	no weight limit
Under 16	max 65kg

13. UNIFORM
When or if school/college playing uniform is so similar to cause confusion the ‘Away’ side has the obligation to change its uniform for that game.

14. TEAM CARDS
These are available on request from your delegate. Please fill in all the information required, get the match referee to sign the team card and it is the coaches responsibility to post asap, (Free post) Team cards must be received by 3pm on the Wednesday following the game.
Penalty. 1 point will be deducted if the Team Card is not received by the deadline.      
If there is a complaint about a team and the team card is not received by the deadline, the complaint will be upheld and the offending team will be deducted 5 points. If the losing team complains and the complaint is upheld the result of the game is reversed.
A coach of a team has the option of viewing the oppositions Team Card before any game.

15. END OF GAME
At the end of each game one member of the management team must be with their team when the players are shaking hands. (There have been problems associated with this in the past). If there have been problems on the field please spend some time with your team and keep them together. Under no circumstances are players to abuse the referee or seek retribution.

16. ORDERED OFF
If a player is ordered off he/she cannot play again until they have appeared before the TRFU Judiciary. If a player is sent to the sin bin on three occasions during the rugby season he/she must appear before the TRFU Judiciary.

17. MOUTH GUARDS
It is compulsory for players to wear mouth guards.

18. SUBSTITUTIONS
Under 19 Premier 1.
i) Up to seven substitutions may be made during the duration of a game. Players cannot be substituted more than once however a substituted player can replace an injured player. The Referee must be informed and substitutions can only take place when the team that is substituting has possession of the ball and the ball is dead. Substitutions may be made at 1/2 time.
ii) Players replacing an injured player must remain on the sideline until acknowledged by the referee. The replaced inured player cannot return to the field of play.
iii) Players may leave the field of play and be temporarily replaced for up to 15 minutes to receive medical treatment to stop bleeding or/and cover wounds. (1/2 time is counted in the 15 minutes)
iv) Front row players sent from the field of play may be replaced by either a player on the field or one of the reserve players trained to play in the front row. One other player of the offending team must leave the field of play for the duration of time the player sent from the field is off. The captain of the offending team decides which player will leave the field of play.
v) The Referee may refuse a substituted player to re-enter the game if he/she suspects the practice of rolling substitutions is being adopted.
All teams playing in the A Grade must play in numbered jerseys. (a penalty will be decided by the Executive if this rule is not adhered to)
Under 19 other than Premier 1, Girls, and Under 15 Grades: Rolling substitutions to give all players a game.

19. FRONT ROWS AND SCRUMS
In all Boys Grades a team must have a front row to start a game. If a front row player needs to be replaced once the game has commenced the coach of that team decides if they have another trained front rower. If not the referee must continue the game with no push scrums. The decision to have no push scrums has been taken away from the referee. (A NZRFU Decision on 31st May, 2005.) If a team cannot start the game with a front row they must default the game. The game will then be played using no push scrums. In boys no push scrums the No 8 cannot detach and pick up the ball.
Girl’s games: Compulsory no push scrums.

20. ELIGIBILITY FOR TSSRFU REPRESENTATIVE TEAM
(In some years there will not be a TSSRFU Representative Team)
A player must be a Bona Fide student of a school/college in the Taranaki Province and playing for a school/college team or a school/club team and Under 19 years of age at the 1st January.
EXCEPTIONS:
Playing for a club team at Senior Level.
Has the written permission of his/her school/college to play for another team.

21. SEMI FINALS AND FINALS
In case of teams having the same number of points at the end of round robin play the following will be applied.
i) Who beat whom in round robin play
ii) Highest number of wins
iii) If the games won against each other in round robin play are equal the points scored in these games will be added together and the team with the most points will go forward.
iv As for (iii) but the team with the best differential over all games in round robin play would go forward.
v) If still no result a toss of a coin will decide the result.
For semi finals the draw will be 1 v 4, 2 v 3. 1 and 2 will play at their home venue.
In semi finals a draw at full time requires two halves of 10 minutes to be played.
If it remains a draw an extra period of time is to be played. The first team to score or force the opposition to force the ball behind their goal line will be declared the winner.
New players cannot be registered after the end of Week 2, Term 3.
Teams may only use players who are on the official registration form and have met all the criteria or have been given a dispensation by the TSSRFU Committee. (The one exception is using a player from a lower grade. It should be indicated on the team card from what team he/she has come from)
Team cards will be scrutinised to make sure that only officially registered players, play.
Playing an unregistered player or player from a higher team will result in the loss of the semi-final or final.
The names of players playing in a Final must be submitted to the Chairman by 3pm on the Wednesday before the final.
Team cards are not necessary for finals as teams will be listed in the programme.
If there are any changes to the teams in the programme the Chairman must be notified.
In the final of the A1, A2 and B1 a draw at full time requires two halves of 10 minutes to be played. If it remains a draw an extra period of time is to be played. The first team to score or force the opposition to force the ball behind their goal line will be declared the winner.
In all other grades a draw at full time would mean a shared title. There is no extra time played.

22. SHIELDS
All shields won on Finals day must be engraved and returned to the Chairman at the beginning of Term 3.
If a shield is lost, the school/college that holds that shield, is responsible for the cost of replacing the shield and the updating of the winning teams on the shield.
Top Dog Shields are in name only. The holder of the Top Dog shield in each grade will be shown on the points table. This information will be collated by the Points Convenor.

23. THE LOWVELD TROPHY
Will be awarded to the winner of the Boys’ Under 19, Premier 1 Competition.

24. SAFETY
All coaches must have passed the Safety Course conducted by the TRFU.
Serious injuries must be reported to the TRFU this includes any player who requires an ambulance.
RACECOURSE. Please do not cross tracks until after 9am as there is danger from horses doing track work.

25. NZ AND HURRICANES KNOCKOUT COMPETITIONS
Hurricanes Schools’ 1st XV Knockout Competition
A winner is to be found from entries from Taranaki, Wanaganui and Manawatu. Schools’/Colleges’ that enter will organize games to find the winner. The winner will progress to the semi-finals of the Hurricanes Area. The winner from this will represent the Hurricanes in the NZ Top Four Finals.
National Co-ed Knockout Competition
The Taranaki Representative will be the highest ranked Co-Educational School after the first round of the TSSRFU Boys’ Premier 1 Competition. This team will play a Wanganui Team in the first round.
Hurricanes Girls’ Knockout Competition
The Taranaki Representative will be the highest ranked School after the first round of the TSSRFU Girls’ Competition. This team will play a Wanganui Team in the first round.